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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said more vessels are moving through the Strait of Hormuz and urged other countries to take a greater role in securing the waterway.
“There are many more vessels flowing through today,” Hegseth told reporters, adding the United States has options to ensure the strait remains open.
“It’s not just the United States Navy... the world ought to be prepared to stand up,” he said, calling it an international waterway.
US says pressuring Iran military capabilities, monitoring rivals
Hegseth said US operations have focused on weakening Iran’s naval and missile capabilities, including cruise missiles, drones and financing networks.
“We’ve been focused from the beginning on attrition and defeating those capabilities,” he said.
He added the United States is monitoring support for Iran from countries such as Russia and China, saying, “We know exactly what they’re doing... where necessary, we’re addressing it.”
US defends military strategy, keeps options open
Hegseth said the United States would not rule out any options, including ground forces.
“You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do,” he said.
He added US objectives include dismantling Iran’s missile program and ensuring it does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
US general says strikes targeting production, missile launches
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said US strikes continue to target Iran’s military production and launch capabilities.
“We do continue to see a trend down,” Caine said of Iranian missile and drone launches, though he noted they have not dropped to zero.
He added strikes on Iran’s defense industrial base aim to prevent it from rebuilding capabilities.
